100 LED Lights To Be Switched On M8

The M8 motorway will be bright for night time motorists, as it has been revealed that more than 100 lamps will be replaced with LED light panels.

Scotland TranServ, on behalf of Transport Scotland, stated that the second phase of a big overhaul of lights in Renfrewshire began last night (March 13th).

The work between Junctions 16 and 17 is expected to last five nights, with the new LED lights ready to be used by the weekend.

Andy Fraser, operating company representative for Scotland TranServ, said: “Replacing the traditional sodium lights with the new energy and cost-efficient LED equivalent will not only look smarter and last longer, but will also improve night time visibility for road users.”

As well as the lamps being updated, the high masts lighting columns will be replaced. It is expected that energy use will be reduced by as much as 53 per cent by simply switching to LED lights.

Two more programmes for LED lamps on Scotland’s busy roads are planned for later this month, with Scotland TranServ fully committing itself to the government’s plans to reduce carbon emissions by 42 per cent by 2026, as part of the Low Carbon Scotland initiative.

Indeed, local authorities in Scotland plan to replace one-third of street lamps with LED ones by April 2017, with 250,000 set to be in operation in just over a year. According to the Scottish Futures Trust, this will save 65,000 tonnes of CO2.

It will also save the government lots of money, with South Lanarkshire Council spending £550,000 less each year thanks to LED street lighting alone.